Spirit and Glory ends layoff with solid Albert M. Stall Memorial triumph

Spirit and Glory, away from the races for six months, made a triumphant return Saturday at Fair Grounds, cutting the corner turning for home under Flavien Prat and persevering over the soft turf to win the $100,000 Albert M. Stall Memorial by three-quarters of a length.

Tryinmyheartout did exactly that to get second at 23-1 by 1 1/4 lengths over Watch This Birdie, who got third by a head over favored Creative Cairo.

Join the Dance was fifth, followed by Not So Close, Girl Named Charlie, Ladywearsthering, Sultry Lass, Fancy Martini and Swoonatra. Flatter Me Silly and Dana’s Beauty scratched.

Spirit and Glory hadn’t run since finishing second, beaten a neck, by Closing Remarks in the Grade 2 Yellow Ribbon at Del Mar last Aug. 12.

Trainer and part owner Robert Falcone Jr. felt Spirit and Glory needed a break after that and sent her to the sidelines for the remainder of the year. Falcone said he chose this race for her return because of the long stretch, similar to Colonial Downs, where she won the Virginia Oaks in 2022.

On Saturday, Spirit and Glory broke sharp and went right to the rail. Down the backstretch, Spirit and Glory was a joint sixth while Not So Close set the pace chased by Girl Named Charlie and Swoonatara.

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Join the Dance was maneuvered from the outside post to the rail and made an early move toward the leaders by Joel Rosario. Prat followed that move on Spirit and Glory.

Turning for home, Join the Dance came off the rail and was in the three-path. Prat had plenty of horse, shot Spirit and Glory on through the opening and the 5-year-old mare, despite hanging on her left lead, got to the wire first.

“She jumped well out of the gate, we were able to get a good position, she was traveling well all the way around and kicked on well,” Prat said in a post-race interview broadcast on the Fair Grounds simulcast.

Spirit and Glory, a 5-year-old daughter of Cotai Glory owned by Beast Mode Racing, Michael Dubb and Michael Nentwig, covered the 1 1/16 miles in 1:43.99 over soft turf and returned $8 as the second choice.

The Albert Stall Memorial and the Grade 3 Fair Ground Stakes were the only two of four scheduled turf races that were kept on the turf Saturday at Fair Grounds after overnight rains. Falcone said he was somewhat leery of running on the soft turf.

“There was a little bit of a concern, I guess you’re always concerned in horse racing, but she was going great, she was working great off the layoff, and it all worked out,” Falcone said.

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